CARYOPHYLLACE.E. 



133 



short, but very conspicuous. Flowers 

 very variable in size, usually pink, or 

 rarely nearly white, on short pedicels, in 

 forked cymes, usually leafy at the base. 

 Petals shorter, or rarely rather longer 

 than the sepals. Seeds more or lesr 

 flattened, often surrounded by a nar- 

 row, scarious wing or border. 



In sandy or gravelly heaths and waste 

 places, chiefly in maritime countries, 

 widely spread over Europe, Russian 

 Asia, North America, and many parts of the southern hemisphere. Com- 

 mon in Britain. Fl. all summer. There are two marked varieties, one 

 chiefly occurring inland, has slender leaves, small flowers (the sepals 1 to 

 2 lines long), short capsules, and the seeds rarely bordered ; the other 

 generally growing near the sea, often distinguished as a species, under 

 the name of S. marina, has thicker, some what fleshy leaves, larger 

 flowers (the sepals 2 to 3 lines long), larger capsules, and the seeds usually 

 bordered, but both varieties occur with bordered and with unbordered 

 seeds. 



Fig. 168. 



XIII. SFURRY. SPERGULA. 



Slender herbs, with narrow-linear leaves in opposite clusters, so as 

 to appear whorled, and minute, scarious stipules. Sepals 5. Petals 5, 

 undivided. Stamens 10, or occasionally 5 or fewer. Styles 5. Cap- 

 sule opening in 5 entire valves. 



A very small European and Asiatic genus, differing from Pearlwort, 

 as Sandspurry does from Sandwort, by the presence of scarious sti- 

 pules. 



1. Corn Spurry. Spergula arvensis, Linn. (Fig. 169.) 



(Eng. Bot. t. 1535 ; and S. pentandria, Eng. Bot. t. 1536.) 



A slender annual, branching at the base into several erect or ascend- 

 ing stems, 6 inches to a foot high, glabrous or slightly downy. Leaves 

 almost subulate, 1 to 2 inches long, growing 6 or 8 together, in two 

 opposite clusters, and spreading, so as to appear whorled. The scarious 

 stipules much smaller than in Sandspurry, and sometimes rather 

 difficult to see. Flowers small, white, on long slender pedicels, turned 

 down after flowering, in terminal, forked cymes. Sepals 1^ to 2 lines 

 long. Petals generally shorter. Stamens frequently 10 or 5 in dif- 



